


Stone Cold

by Intern_Seraph



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Basically the Whole Cast - Freeform, Gen, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts, POV Second Person, Steven Takes the Place of Frisk, The Children Will Cry, there's some background alphyne in there too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-05-09 13:23:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5541599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Intern_Seraph/pseuds/Intern_Seraph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is Steven Quartz Universe, and you should have listened to Pearl when she warned you against climbing Mt Ebott.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Rocky Start

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story in which the author has little to no confidence in how she writes characters and has like four things total actually planned out. Pff.  
> This is reposted from my [Tumblr](http://seraphsword-seraphs.tumblr.com/post/134904184266/stone-cold-chapter-1), so if you wanna read ahead hop on over there. It probably won't be too far ahead, though, since I'm going to be putting all the completed chapters on AO3 asap.  
> Check out my beta, [Alex-Indy](http://alex-indy.tumblr.com/), on the Tumbles, too!

    Your name is Steven Quartz Universe, and you should have listened to Pearl when she told you not to climb Mt. Ebott. The darkness surrounds you, only broken by the shaft of light that filters down from the hole you fell through. You can’t hear the Gems’ shouts anymore, only faint sobbing coming from directly above. But you have more urgent things to think about. For example, the fact that the flowers you landed on are making your nose runny and your eyes swell and tear up. You groan and roll off of the flowers onto a stone floor, sneezing and sniffling. It takes a few minutes until you’re ready to stand. You look up through the abyss at the single circle of light.

“Guys! Guys! I’m okay!” you shout. There’s the distant sound of a scuffle before--

“Steven! Steven!” That’s Pearl. Her voice is choked. “We’re going to come get you!”

“Steven, are you hurt?” Garnet calls as the light is partially obscured by something up above. “Stay where you are!”

“No, no, really! I’m fine!” you look around once again and see a dimly lit path away from the patch of golden buttercups. “I think I’m gonna go see if there’s another way out!”

“Steven, no!” Garnet and Pearl yell in unison.

“Wait, don’t go!” Amethyst chimes in.

But you’re already on the move, walking down the hall to a looming violet archway. The next room is similarly dark, with a patch of illuminated grass in the center. There’s a little yellow flower sitting there. Staring.

Oh.

It has eyes.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey! Flowey the Flower!” it says, its mouth grinning as you walk up to it. You smile back.

“Hi! I’m Steven Universe!” you hold out a hand, then realize that it’s a flower. It has no hands. “Uh, where am I?”

It-no,  _ he _ -seems to sneer for a brief moment. The predatory look in his eyes is gone in an instant.

“Oh, you’re new to the Underground, arentcha?” he asks, tilting his-er, head?- to the side. You nod vigorously. “Golly, seems that someone’s gonna have to teach you how things work around here!”

“Yeah, that’d be nice!” you reply, smiling.

“Ha, guess little old me will have to do! Ready?” he asks, pausing to make sure that you say yes. “Here we go!”

You’re filled with a sense of vertigo, and you’re thrown off-balance. You clutch your stomach, just above your gem, and try not to hurl. What little you can make out of the area around you is dimmed and out of focus. You can only see Flowey in front of you, as well as four square buttons and a… text box? There’s a shimmering, crystalline heart hovering in front of your chest, about a foot away from you. It’s a saturated shade of kelly green, bathing the room in soft, grass-green light. Flowey looks shocked for only a second.

“See that heart? That’s your soul, the very culmination of your being!”

The heart is mesmerizing, and it moves from side to side with you as you shift anxiously on your feet. You reach out to touch it, but something seems… wrong when your fingers grow close to it.

“Your soul starts off weak,” the flower continues, rattling off his words as if from a script, “but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV! What’s LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course!”

He doesn’t even stop to wait for a response.

“You want some LOVE, don’t you?”

You speak before he can continue, “But I already have lots of love, why would I need mo-”

“ _ Don’t worry _ ,” his voice has taken on a darker tone, and his smile seems more forced. It scares you. “I’ll share some with you!”

He sticks out his tongue and winks as white spheres pop up around his head.

“Down here, LOVE is shared through…” he seems to cough, looking to the side. “Little white… ‘Friendliness pellets’.”

They look harmless enough.

“Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!”

You step forward, and the pellets move toward you, three or four of them hitting your soul at once. As soon as they hit, you’re brought to your knees, hugging your body and cringing. It  _ hurts _ , and the little yellow bar on the weird interface is suddenly barely visible, the words reading ‘1/20HP’. With what little strength you have, you manage to lift your shirt a little to check your gem. It’s intact, and upon further inspection, so is the rest of you. You look up at Flowey and see that his face has twisted into a nightmare, sharp teeth bared and grinning sadistically.

“Hehe… You  _ idiot _ ,” he cackles, glaring down at you. “In this world, it’s kill or be killed! Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like  _ this _ ?”

You’re too exhausted to protest, and you can’t form your bubble or summon your shield in your current state. There’s a string of popping sounds and more friendliness pellets… no,  _ bullets _ , surround you.

“Die.”

Flowey laughs, and the bullets move closer to you and your soul, which you attempt to hug closer to you. You’d lick it, but… that doesn’t seem like the best thing to do.

Suddenly, a burst of flame appears next to Flowey, and he yelps as it knocks him and his bullets away. You feel invigorated, and your HP is healed to full. A shadow looms over you, and a furry white paw moves into your vision. You grasp it tightly and let its owner pull you to your feet. A tall, round, white-furred goat woman stands in front of you, her massive paws gently grasping your shoulders as she appraises you. Her ears are long and drape elegantly over her shoulders, and her royal purple robe reaches the floor. She has a regal, queenly look, but her eyes are filled with maternal concern. Everything about her reminds you of what little you have seen of your mother.

“What a miserable creature,” she finally says, pulling away, “torturing such a poor, innocent youth. My child, do not be afraid! I am Toriel, caretaker of the ruins.”

You smile and introduce yourself, holding out a hand to shake. She smiles back and takes your hand in her own, giving it a firm shake.

“Steven, what a lovely name. You are the first human to come here in a long time.”

Your eyes widen just a smidge at her offhanded comment, and your hand grips your shirt, just above your belly button.

“Really?”

“Yes, it has been so long…” her voice trails off, and she glances to the side with a resigned sigh. She looks back at you and smiles tiredly. “Come, I will guide you through the catacombs!”

The battle interface has disappeared entirely, and Toriel is already on the move, heading towards another archway at the other end of the room. You glance back, but run to keep up with her swift pace. The archway leads into a purple room with two staircases leading up to the same place, there are leaves scattered over the ground. You jog alongside Toriel, looking up at her.

“Do you know how I can get back up to the surface?” you ask. “I need to go back home, the Gems are really worried about me.”

She doesn’t answer you, but she looks distressed. You enter another room, but the door is closed. It’s empty, save for six buttons on the ground and a switch.

“Welcome to your new home, Steven! Allow me to educate you in the operation of the ruins.”

Toriel’s on the move before you can ask her what she means by ‘new home’. She walks ahead of you and steps on four of the buttons, and then flips the switch. The door rumbles open. She turns to you.

“The ruins are filled with puzzles, ancient fusions of diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them.”

She’s gone without another word, through the door. You look over the puzzle, poking experimentally at the buttons. You look back the way you came, and your stomach lurches. The Gems are probably worried about you…

“Steven, are you alright?” Toriel’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts, and you trot over to the doorway.

“I’m fine! Let’s go!”

The next room is the same shade of violet as the last, with a pale purple pathway snaking through it. Toriel is waiting patiently, her hands clasped elegantly in front of her.

“To pass through this room,” she begins, “you will have to press two switches.” She smiles sweetly, showing two pointed teeth. “Do not worry, my child. I have labelled them for you.”

You spot the first one immediately, it’s pretty obvious, with writing scrawled on the wall next to it. It flips with a sharp click. Toriel seems proud. It’s the same with the next switch, and you’re in the next room within seconds.

The room is smaller, and the same shade of purple as the last two. There’s a dummy in the corner, next to the door. Toriel gestures to it.

“As a human living in the underground,” she begins, “monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight! While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation, I will come to defuse the situation.”

You nod eagerly, it seems easy enough! Much easier than the fights you’ve been in before.

“Now, my child, please practice talking to the dummy.”

You approach the dummy and feel the same sense of vertigo wash over you. That’s going to take some getting used to. The battle interface pops up in front of you, with a little green heart selecting ACT. You talk to the dummy.

“Hi, how’re you?”

…

The dummy doesn’t seem much for conversation. The battle ends, and Toriel is smiling again.

“Well done, my child.”

“Thanks, Toriel!”

She gently grasps your hand and pulls you along, through the archway.

“Come, my child. There are a few more things I have to show you.”

She releases your hand and stands dutifully next to you. There’s a path on the ground in lighter violet.

“There is another puzzle in this room. I wonder if you can find it!”

You start pacing around the path in the center of the room, trying to figure out its secret. There’s another hallway offshoot, and one look at Toriel shows that that’s where you need to go. Halfway down the hall, however, a weird frog jumps in front of you.

You enter a battle.

\-->ACT.

\-->COMPLIMENT.

“Your eyes are really pretty!” you say with two thumbs up.

The frog(git) croaks, and seems flattered. Before it can do anything, however, Toriel steps in and glares at it, spooking it away. The battle is over as fast as it begins.

“You are not ready for that, my child.”

“But-”

“Let us move on.”

You see a sign on the wall as you walk through the hall, but can’t stop fast enough to read it. You turn to look ahead, and the first thing you see are the spikes. The next thing you see is the rushing water  _ under _ the spikes.

“Uhh… Toriel?”

She sighs and grabs your hand.

“Puzzles… Puzzles seem a little too difficult for now,” she murmurs, leading you safely over the spikes.

“Yeah. I guess…” This situation feels oddly familiar.

The following room feels empty and huge, only a path running through it. You look up at Toriel, and then back at the path.

“Steven,” she’s released your hand, “I have something.. difficult to ask of you. Please do not hate me.”

“I won’t hate you!”

She relaxes and breathes out a sigh. “I need you… to walk to the end of this room. By yourself.”

“That’s it?” you ask. She nods, and you beam. “That’s easy! I won’t let you down!”

She smiles gratefully and gently ruffles your hair. She walks away, leaving you by yourself. The situation feels unnecessarily intense. You make your way to the other end of the room, looking around to make sure you aren’t missing anything. Finally, you reach the end, marked by a pillar. You can see Toriel hiding behind it, and she peeks out at you. You shuffle your feet.

“I wonder where Toriel went!” you announce, looking around dramatically. “Where could she have gone!”  _ Acting _ .

She pops out from behind the pillar, stepping in front of you.

“My child, do not worry, I was merely hiding behind this pillar the whole time!” she says, kneeling down to look you in the eye. “But there was a reason behind this exercise: to test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here, it is dangerous to explore by yourself… I have an idea! I will give you a cell phone!”

You perk up and immediately check your pockets for your phone. How could you forget? You pull it out and show Toriel, who seems amazed by the device.

“You don’t have to! Look, I have my own, mo-Toriel!” you correct yourself before you can finish, not looking her in the eye.

“... Would that make you happy?” she asks softly. “To call me… ‘Mother?’”

You swallow thickly, and look hesitantly up at her.

“Well, call me whatever you like. Do you want me to give you my number?”

You nod, and she tells you a string of numbers to punch into your phone. You save her contact as “goat mom”.

“Please call me if you need anything. I will see you soon, my child.”

She embraces you and hurries off, leaving you alone again. The first thing you do is try to call Connie. She doesn’t answer.

“Hey, Connie? This is Steven, when you get this, can you tell the Gems that I’m okay? Thanks, bye.”

It’s the same for everyone on your contact list. Your heart sinks with every voice message left, but you try to stay optimistic. You’ve been sitting in the same spot for half an hour now. You get up and head out of the room.

Your phone rings.

“Hello? This is Toriel! You have not left the room, have you? I apologize for taking so long, but something has come up!” You can hear barking in the background. “I must go, goodbye!”

You look up from your phone. The first thing you see is a Froggit waiting on the path. It looks up at you

“Ribbit. (Excuse me, human. I have some advice for you about battling monsters. If you act a certain way or fight until you almost defeat them… They might not want to battle you anymore. If a monster does not want to fight you… please… Use some mercy…) Ribbit.”

“Don’t worry! I won’t fight anyone!” you puff up confidently, and the Froggit seems to appreciate it. Your stomach growls, and at that moment you realize that you never checked to see if you still had your adventure supplies! You scrabble for the familiar straps of your prized cheeseburger backpack, letting out a sigh of relief when you find it there.

“C’moon… cheeseburger backpack!” you mutter to yourself as you unzip it to examine the contents.

An energy bar, two old photos, your ukulele(still intact somehow), and a donut.

Oh.

 

You eat the donut. It reminds you of home. You feel homesick. Maybe you should try to call your friends again..?

No.

You have to be strong. You’ll find a way out.

There’s a doorway behind the Froggit. You go through and find a bowl of ‘monster candy’.

You take one and stash it in your backpack. For later.

It feels like you’re being watched, but maybe whoever it is is just too shy to introduce themselves. You continue on. As you walk through the ruins, you encounter more monsters. The Whimsuns are timid and reluctant to battle right off the bat, but you try to console them  They run at their first opening, crying the whole way. You realize by the third Whimsun that trying to talk is useless, and you just spare them after that. The Froggits are more outgoing, and you quickly befriend at least a quarter of the entire Froggit population of the entire ruins.

You aren’t bothered by the fact that a rock talked to you. It’s your element. (And frankly, you’ve had weirder.)

The ghost, however, is a whole ‘nother story.

“Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…”

You look for a way around them, so that you don’t disturb them.

“... are they gone yet… zzzzzzzzzzzz…”

You gently poke the ghost, expecting your hand to go right through. It doesn’t.

“Hey,” you say in a stage-whisper, “can you please move a little? I need to get to the other side.”

The ghost sits up and stares at you. You feel yourself get pulled into a battle.

“ _ Here comes Napstablook _ ,” a voice you don’t recognize says from what feels like behind you.

\--> ACT.

\--> CHEER.

You smile at Napstablook and give them two thumbs up. They seem a bit happier, but tears still rain down on your soul. You summon your shield as quickly as you can and use it like a makeshift umbrella, listening to the  _ tink tink tink _ of the teardrops bouncing off of it.

\-->ACT.

\--> CHEER.

“Hey, why did the ghost go in the elevator?”

Napstablook doesn’t respond, but they seem to be waiting for the punchline.

“It thought it could…  _ lift its spirits _ !”

They laugh a little, and their smile seems a bit less forced. The tears pour down again, in another pattern.

_ Tink tink tink _ .

\--> ACT.

\--> CHEER.

“h-hey… can i show you something?”

“Yeah!”

Napstablook cries again, but the tears go up, slowly forming a little top hat. It’s adorable!

“what do you think?”

You give them a big grin.

“It looks great on you!”

“o-oh…”

The battle fades around you, and your soul recedes into your body again.

“i usually go to the ruins to be alone but…” they smile shyly. “this time… i made a friend. i’ll get out of your way…”

You wave as they fade.

“See ya!”

You find a spider bakesale and buy some spider donuts. You munch on one as you continue through the ruins. (It’s rubbery, but has a nice flavor.) You dance with Migosp and avoid Vegetoid’s rain of vegetables, there are even more puzzles to solve, and before you know it you’ve reached a crossroads in the ruins. You move forwards first instead of up, encountering a timid Froggit who explains that everyone in the ruins is intimidated by Toriel. You can’t imagine that, she’s just too sweet and motherly to be intimidating. You step out onto a balcony sort of outcropping overlooking a city. You look to the side. There’s a knife, albeit a fake one. Something about it makes you uneasy. It might be the light layer of dust coating it. You decide to go take the northern path from the crossroads. Toriel is running towards you, sidestepping a tree and inspecting her phone before she sees you and pockets it. She swoops in, embracing you tightly.

“My child, I told you not to move! Are you hurt?” she gasps, squeezing you one final time for good measure. She laughs sheepishly. “But, I did take quite a while to return. Come with me, Steven.”

You follow her closely, and enter a quaint little house. The air smells like cinnamon rolls and candy, and you feel a small pang of homesickness.

“What’s that smell?” you ask, brightening up.

“Butterscotch-cinnamon pie,” she replies, taking your hand. “Come with me, I have something for you.”

She leads you down the hall, and faces a door.

“Here, your very own room! Please, make yourself at home, dear,” she hums, before stiffening. “Is something burning? I will be right back!”

She ruffles your hair gently before racing back the way you came. You enter the room, a cozy little place with a single bed. The box of toys on the floor are for kids much younger than you, but they still seem interesting, and the wardrobe has various striped shirts, some of which may fit you. The box of children’s shoes are weird, but you ignore them in favor of kicking off your own shoes, pulling off your backpack, and getting into the bed. You feel a wave of exhaustion overcome you, and fall asleep effortlessly.

-

_ The world is a familiar shade of lilac. The ground is indistinguishable from the sky, but feels solid enough. Someone is sitting nearby. Someone you know. _

__ _ “Hey!” you shout, running over to them. _

__ _ “Steven?” Amethyst turns to face you just as you tackle her to the ground. She laughs and scoops you up, tossing you in the air a bit. “‘S that really you, little man?” _

__ _ “Yeah! Are you asleep?” _

__ _ She nods. _

__ _ “You’re okay!” she says, ruffling your hair. _

__ _ “Mhm! There’s a whole world under Mt. Ebott! A goat lady found me and is letting me stay at her house!” You proceed to tell Amethyst everything about your adventure so far. She lies down and props her head up with her hands, waving her legs in the air. _

__ _ “When are you gonna get back?” _

__ _ You shrug. _

__ _ “Dunno, I’ll ask Toriel about leaving.” _

__ _ “Dude, this is great! Pearl and Garnet are gonna freak when they find out you’re okay!” _

__ _ “Yeah, tell them I say hi!” _

__ _ Before you can hear her answer, the lilac world fades away. _

-

You yawn and barely stir in bed. You feel like you’re being watched.

“Well, this is new.”

You start, sitting bolt upright and looking around the room. You finally spot the source of the voice, sitting on top of the dresser. They seem almost like an illusion, not entirely there. Their red eyes pierce through you, and their fawn hair falls neatly above their shoulders. They have a simple green sweater with a yellow stripe across the center, along with brown shorts and shoes. Their pale face is stained with a permanent magenta blush. They’re pretty much lying down. Staring.

“You aren’t Frisk.”

You shake off your initial fear and smile amicably. “Yeah, I’m Steven.”

Their stare intensifies, and they snicker, a smile forming on their face. “Hello, Steven. I’m Chara. How’d you get down here?”

“I fell.”

“Really?” they jump down from the dresser and lean calmly against it, raising their eyebrows. “So did I.”

“Yeah, it was really scary, but then I met Toriel! She’s really nice!”

Chara nods, a wistful look flashing across their face.

“She is. You know, she makes the best pies?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, honestly, her snail pie was always one of my favorites.”

“Snail pie?”

“Heh, yup. She has a thing for snails.”

“How do you know Toriel?”

Chara’s eyes widen, and it looks like they’ve been punched in the gut.

“... I’m an… old friend of hers.”

You don’t question it, something about the way that Chara refuses to look you in the eye and the strained smile they wear tells you not to push it. Instead, you hold out a hand.

“Let’s be friends!”

They stare at you as if you just grew an extra head. They slowly approach you, finally reaching your bedside and reaching for your hand. Their fingers glide right through you.

“ _ aaaaAAAAAAA! _ ” You yell, scrambling back on the bed.

Chara panics, waving their arms and shushing you.

“Steven?” Toriel calls. “Are you alright?”

“Fine!”

“If you say so, dear.”

Chara clears their throat awkwardly.

“So, I’m dead.”

You nod numbly. This was definitely a first.

“Been dead for a while. Give or take a century.”

“How-”

“Dunno. I’ll tell you the gory details about what happened to me later. But I’ll take you up on that friend offer. I’ve been… alone for a while. It’s nice to have someone else my age to hang with again.”

“Alright?”

“Right now, though, there’s a butterscotch-cinnamon pie calling your name.”

You practically dive out of bed, Chara immediately flinching out of the way. You don’t bother putting on shoes; instead you barrel out of your new room with Chara following you.

“Ah, Steven!” It looks like Toriel has just set the table. “Did you have a nice nap, my child?”

“Mhm! I had a really good dream!” you say as you sit down in one of the dining chairs. The pie looks and smells delicious, and, you confirm as you take a bite, tastes just as good as promised. Chara looks on longingly from their perch on top of the fireplace.

“So, Steven,” Toriel says, “While you were napping, I started writing out a lesson plan for you.”

“Lesson plan?”

“Yes, I am planning on helping you in your studies while you stay here,” she hums. “This may come as a surprise to you… but I have always wanted to be a teacher.”

“A teacher? Like, at a school?”

She nods.

“... I’ve never been to school.”

“You are joking, surely!”

“Nope! The Gems teach me everything!”

“Really? Who are these Gems?”

You launch into a description of your family, telling Toriel all about your life with the Crystal Gems and your adventures with them (Conveniently leaving out the small detail of you being half-Gem). At your mention of Connie, Toriel gives you a knowing look, but lets you continue. By the time you’ve finished telling her about how Jasper had captured you and the rest of the Crystal Gems, you’re finished with the pie. Toriel stands up to gather the dirty dishes, and you grab your plate to tote it to the sink. Chara falls in line next to you.

“You’re hiding something,” they state simply as you leave the kitchen.

“I’ll show you when we get back to my room,” you whisper to them. Toriel taps your shoulder before you can exit the (dining? family? who knows?) room.

“There are some extra clothes in your room, by the way. You may want to change, dear.”

“Okay! Thanks again, Toriel!”

“Ahaha, you are very welcome, my child. Good night!”

“Night!”

You skip off to your room and inspect the clothes in the dresser and wardrobe. There’s a pair of yellow pjs that look like they’ll fit you well. Before you change, you tell Chara to look away.

“I’ll tell you what’s up in a minute!”

“Whatever. Tell me when you’re done.”

You change and sit on the bed. Chara plops down on the floor in front of you.

“Okay, so, you know how I was talking about my family?”

“Yeah, they’re all rocks. What about them?”

“Well, I, uh, I’m kinda half-Gem,” you explain, lifting your pajama top to reveal your gem. It shimmers a faint rose in the dim light of the lamp. “My mom was Rose Quartz, she fought a big war to protect the earth! Her side won! Then she met my dad and, uh, well…” You scratch your head sheepishly and shrug. Talking about this feels weird.

“So you’re half-human?”

“Pretty much.”

“Cool.”

“Thanks?”

“Did you ever meet your mom?”

You shift uncomfortably. No matter what the Gems tell you, you still feel guilty.

“... Can we not..?”

They nod understandingly.

“Yeah, okay. Well, g’night, Steven. Sweet dreams.”

“Night, Chara.”


	2. Go(at) On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You want to stay.  
> But you can't.  
> Your friends are waiting.

_ Water cascades from the ceiling, curving outwards to create a dome. The world is bathed in soft, sky blue light. A familiar person is standing in wait for you. _

__ _ “Steven, is that really you?” Pearl asks, striding towards you with a look of worry on her face. _

__ _ “Yeah! I’m all here!” _

__ _ She sobs and kneels down to embrace you. _

__ _ “Oh, Steven, I was so scared that you-that you-” _

__ _ You squeeze her comfortingly. She grips the back of your shirt as tightly as she can, as if you’ll disappear if the lets go. _

__ _ “Are you alright? You aren’t hurt, are you?” _

__ _ You shake your head. _

__ _ “No! I’m fine, really!” You laugh sheepishly. “I should’ve listened to you, Pearl…” _

__ _ She sniffles. _

__ _ “Where are you right now?” she asks gently after composing herself. The two of you sit down together. _

__ _ “Under the mountain! This really nice goat lady found me! Her name is Toriel and she’s letting me stay at her house!” _

__ _ She nods and lets you continue telling her all about your adventure. _

__ _ “... and there’s a human down here, too! Well, sort of.” _

__ _ She perks up. _

__ _ “Their name is Chara, and they’re, well, they’re dead.” _

__ _ “Dead?” Pearl’s voice is laced with faint horror. _

__ _ “Yeah, they’re a ghost!” _

__ _ She says something that you don’t catch, but before you can ask her what she said, the room begins to fade. _

__ _ “Uh, I’m waking up! Bye, Pearl!” _

__ _ She reaches over and gives you one last hug. _

__ _ “Goodbye, Steven.” _

-

“You sleep-talk.”

You yawn and roll over in bed, meeting the crimson eyes of your new friend.

“Really?” you ask groggily, still not quite awake. They nod. They’re half-lying on the edge of the bed.

“Lots of muttering about Pearl.”

“I was talking to her!”

“How?”

You shrug. “Gem magic, I guess I got it from my mom?”

“Probably.”

The two of you sit in a comfortable silence for another minute or so.

“Hey, Steven, I know that this sounds weird, but you can’t-we can’t stay here for too long. We have to keep moving.”

You sigh and nod.

“Yeah, I know…”

“And… I… well, I have some things to tell you. Later, I guess.”

You nod and clamber out of bed.

“Would Toriel be mad if..?” you gesture to the wardrobe. Chara shakes their head.

“Nah. You need some changes of clothes, anyway, where we’re going. Something warm.”

You grab a faded magenta and violet striped sweater and hold it up to yourself, posing for Chara. They snicker and nod.

“Looks good on you.”

You grab a pair of jeans and search the shoe box for a pair of boots that might fit.

“What about these?” you joke, holding up a pair of dress shoes three sizes too big.

“They look perfect!” Chara bounces on their heels. “Try them on!”

You both laugh as you walk around in the giant loafers. It feels like wearing clown shoes.

“Here, try these,” they say, gesturing towards a well-worn pair of sneakers.

They fit like a glove. You pose dramatically in your new outfit, earning a few giggles.

“Should I get some more clothes just in case?”

They nod.

“Sounds like a good idea.”

You pick out some more striped shirts of varying colors and styles, along with another pair of pants and fold them neatly before putting them in your backpack. You also pack up your pajamas and the clothing you were wearing when you fell.

“Ready?” Chara asks softly, attempting to place a hand on your shoulder. It simply phases through you.

“Yeah!” you respond, grabbing your backpack and slinging it onto your shoulders. You bound out of the room and down the hall. Toriel is getting the leftover pie from the fridge.

“Oh, good morning, my child!”

“Good morning, Toriel!”

“Oh my, you look ready for an adventure!”

You shuffle your feet nervously. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Chara smiles encouragingly at you.

“Uh, Toriel, how do I get home?”

She stiffens and turns to look at you.

“Why don’t you have a slice of pie, Steven?” she asks nervously, handing you a plate with a slice of pie. You sigh and nod.

Breakfast is uncomfortably silent, and you pick nervously at your pie. Toriel fidgets the entire time. When you’re done with your food, you bring the dishes to the sink and approach Toriel, who is sitting in her chair with a book.

“Toriel, please…” you say in a small voice. “I need to go home…”

“Steven, this  _ is _ your home.”

She looks desperate.

“Please, I just need to know how to leave the-”

She stands up and puts the book down.

“I must do something. Stay here.”

You watch her scurry away, her robe flowing behind her. You exchange glances with Chara, who looks nauseous. You follow Toriel to the stairs, and watch her run down to the basement. You take a deep breath. Adrenaline rushes through your veins.

You are DETERMINED to find out what’s going on.

You race after her.

The basement is chilly and the air is dry.

She’s standing only a few feet in front of you.

Chara inhales sharply beside you.

“... You wish to know how to return “home”... do you not?”

“Y-yeah… my friends are waiting for me…”

She sighs.

“Ahead of us lies the end of the ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground… I am going to destroy it.”

You swallow thickly, trying to keep your fear down.

“No-one will ever be able to leave again. Now, be a good child and go upstairs.”

She walks away, leaving you and Chara standing in shocked silence.

“Keep going,” they murmur.

“Are you sure?”

They nod. You press on.

“Every human that falls down here meets the same fate…”

You take a deep breath.

“I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave,” her voice breaks, “They die. You naive child… If you leave the ruins...”

You clutch the bottom of your sweater anxiously.

“They… Asgore… will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?”

“I can pro-”

“Go to your room.”

You follow her.

Toriel stands at a bend in the hall.

“Do not try to stop me.”

“Toriel…”

“This is your final warning.”

She continues.

You continue.

The hall ends in a round room with a single door.

The emblem on Toriel’s robe is carved into it.

She has her back to you.

“You want to leave so badly?”

Her voice is soft.

Her voice is dangerous.

“Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this.”

“Steven, are you ready?” Chara hisses to you.

You nod weakly.

You aren’t ready.

“Prove yourself. Prove to me you are strong enough to survive!”

The room darkens, and you feel the familiar rush of vertigo as your soul is pulled from your body. Toriel faces you, an unreadable expression on her face. Chara takes a deep breath and reads over the text that appears in the box before you.

“Toriel blocks the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, the first chapter is the longest so far. This and the next chapter are both moderately short, considering my style of 'i have to have 1,000 descriptions'... And this chapter is just over 1,100 words.


	3. Feeling the Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is harder than you thought it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have the fourth chapter written, I just need my beta to check up on it. The fifth chapter is also in the works.  
> I've got a pretty nice rhythm going, if I do say so myself.

“I don’t want to fight you, Toriel!”

She ignores you and instead raises her hands, irregular balls of fire flowing from her palms. The flames bite close to you, a few catch your soul, and you wince.

It’s your turn again.

“Toriel, please, let me through!”

She looks through you. Fire weaves around you, crisscrossing in an easily recognizable pattern. More flames hit the shimmering green heart. Your HP dips below half.

“Steven?”

Chara is worried. You smile.

“I’m fine!”

They breathe out a sigh of relief.

You face Toriel.

“Toriel, please…”

Her expression softens and she lets out a shaky breath.

Only two fireballs hit you. She stops the attack before your HP gets too low.

You’re kneeling on the floor, one hand clutching your stomach. You look bravely up at her.

“Toriel, please just let me go home.”

Tears pool in her eyes.

“What are you doing?”

The fire doesn’t even get close enough for you to feel the heat.

“I need to see my friends, Toriel.”

“Attack or run away!”

“I can’t stay here, Toriel…”

“What are you proving this way?!”

“I don’t want to leave, but…”

“Fight me or leave!”

“I want to go home…”

“Stop it.”

“All the people I told you about…”

“Stop saying that!”

“Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, my dad…”

“Go away!”

“Connie and her parents, Lars and Sadie…”

Toriel is silent, tears pour down her face and catch in her white fur.

“Jamie, Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck Dewey… Even Peridot… There are so many people...”

She hiccups and her legs shake.

“I miss them, and I hope-I think-I know they miss me…”

…

“Toriel?”

“Steven, I-I know you want to go home… but…”

She falls to her knees and sobs into her hands. You crawl over to her and try to comfort her.

“But please… go upstairs now…” she whispers through her tears.

“... I promise that I will take good care of you here…

“I know we do not have much, but…

“We can have a good life here…”

Chara sits beside you, staring into the distance.

“Why are you making this so difficult?”

You shrug halfheartedly.

“Please,” she whimpers, “go upstairs…”

“I can’t, Toriel, you know that.”

She laughs weakly.

“Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single… a single child…”

You squeeze her hand.

“You aren’t pathetic, Toriel…”

She smiles and shakes her head. Tears pool in her eyes again.

“... No, I understand… You would just be unhappy trapped down here… The ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this.”

You remain silent. Tears cascade down your face.

“My expectations… My loneliness…”

She gulps.

“My fears… For you, I will put them aside.”

The battle fades.

“If you really wish to leave the ruins… I will not stop you… however, once you leave… please do not come back. I hope you understand…”

“I-I do, To-” you pause. “Mom.”

She embraces you, tears soak your shoulder. You stop her just before she leaves the room.

“Will I see you again?”

She shakes her head.

“No… most likely… we will never cross paths again. Be good, Steven. Good… good-bye.”

Her footsteps fade, and you’re left sitting on the floor with Chara kneeling in front of you.

“... Green, huh? Kindness… It fits you.”

With that, you both burst into tears, desperately trying to hug each other to get some kind of grounding force. There’s only a small pressure on your back that you can feel, and only for a moment. Tears drip onto the cold stone floor.

It takes a while before the two of you are ready to move on.

The door is heavy and takes a few tries to push open. The walk down the final purple hall is dead silent. Your footsteps ring in your ears.

The next hall is dark, except for a single lit patch of grass with a smiling golden flower.

“Hi, Flowey!” you try to sound excited, but the fear leaks through your voice.

Flowey chuckles darkly, sneering up at you and Chara.

“Clever. Very clever. You think you’re smart, don’tcha? In this world, it’s kill... or be killed. So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person. Don’t get cocky,” he cackles and his face warps. He looks up at Chara’s face, which has drained of any color it may have had, “And you! You really think that you can change fate? Do you really think that being nice to a few people will redeem you? Ha, you really are an idiot!”

You bunch up your hands into fists.

“Leave them alone!”

“Steven, it’s not worth it,” Chara mumbles, looking down. “ _ I’m _ not worth it.”

“You should watch your back,” Flowey muses, a wicked smile on his face. “Who knows what kind of people you’ll meet? What if you meet a relentless killer? What if you meet someone who wants revenge? Ha, maybe that’ll change your mind!”

The flower cackles one more time before disappearing under the ground again. Chara is shaking, their head down.

“C’mon, Chara… don’t pay attention to him… he doesn’t know anything… Let’s keep moving…”

They sniffle and follow you reluctantly as you power forward. The door to the rest of the Underground is heavier than the last, but you manage to shove it open.

You step over the threshold.


	4. Pretty Cool People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's so cold.  
> But the friendly skeletons really warm up the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (You can hear Seraph screaming into the distance)  
> Here's chapter four! Some of you guys pointed out some bits in the story that are... off? Or something. For the record, I have no real excuse for that. Seriously, none.  
> ... heh.  
> And for everyone commenting so far, thank you so so so much for your kind words! I admit, I freak out just a bit every time I see a new comment, so thank you from the bottom of my heart! <3

The first thing that hits you is the cold. Chara was right, you definitely needed the warm clothes you were wearing. The second thing that hits you is a feeling of being watched. Chara sticks close to you, eyes darting around apprehensively.

“C’mon.”

The snow is packed together firmly enough that you don’t sink too far as you walk down the path. The trees are barren and tower above you. You don’t question the weather. You’ve seen weirder.

“This isn’t too bad!” you comment as you sidestep a branch on the ground. A few steps later, there’s an audible crack. The both of you whirl around to see the stick snapped neatly in three. You exchange glances.

“It was probably nothing,” you announce.

“Y-yeah…”

A few feet later, and you hear footsteps behind you. Your heart is pounding in your ears.

“It’s nothing,” you say, mostly to yourself. You grip your shirt subconsciously.

You reach a bridge, with what looks like a fence spanning across it. The fence doesn’t look very effective.

_ Crunch. _

Your heart lurches.

_ Crunch _ .

Oh. Oh no.

_ Crunch _ .

You’re paralyzed with fear.

“H U M A N,” the voice behind you is low and deep, “D O N ‘ T  Y O U  K N O W  H O W  T O  G R E E T  A  N E W  P A L? T U R N  A R O U N D  A N D  S H A K E  M Y  H A N D.”

You turn cautiously. The figure in front of you is shrouded in shadow and only a few inches taller than you. It extends a hand. You take it.

_ Pbbllllttttttttttt… fwwwwweeetttt… pbllllttt… _

The shadow vanishes, but you’re too busy cracking up to notice. The person laughs, too, doubling over and snickering. Once you’ve composed yourselves, you straighten up and smile warmly. The stout skeleton before you grins back. The pinpricks of light in his eyes give you a once-over, and he seems confused for a split second. Only a second, though.

“hehe, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick,” he chuckles. “it’s always funny. anyways, you’re a human, right?”

You nod.

“that’s hilarious. i’m sans. sans the skeleton.”

“I’m Steven Universe!”

“your name sounds pretty…  _ out of this world _ .”

You snort, and have to hide your laughter behind your hands.

“Nice one.”

His plastered-on grin widens.

“anyways, i’m actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but i don’t really care about capturing anybody. but my brother, papyrus…” he shrugs and his smile seems softer, more natural. “he’s a human-hunting FANATIC.”

You gulp. Was this what Toriel warned you about?

“hey, actually, i think that’s him over there. i have an idea. go through this gate-thingy.”

You turn to look at the bridge. Behind one of the bars, you can see someone approaching. You turn back to Sans.

“well?”

“Okay, let’s go!”

He starts walking across the bridge, gesturing for you to follow. There’s a lamp and a wooden thing that looks like a market stall.

“hey, kid, go hide in my sentry station,” Sans nods towards the stall.

You do as he says, crouching behind the wooden planks. Chara sits next to you. Their face is the same shade as it was when Flowey taunted the two of you, and their body is shaking.

“Chara?” you whisper. “Are you okay?”

They nod stiffly and give you a forced smile.

“Fine. Don’t worry.”

You peek out from the side of the station, watching as a tall skeleton rushes into the clearing. This must be Papyrus. His outfit is, for lack of better words, ridiculous. A red scarf is wrapped securely around his neck, and the end billows out behind him… despite the fact that there isn’t any wind. He wears red mittens and boots, and his arms, legs, and what’s visible of his spine are covered in black cloth. He has both hands on his hips and is glaring at Sans, who still has an amused look in his eyes.

“‘sup, bro?”

“YOU KNOW WHAT ‘SUP’, BROTHER!” You jump. His voice is loud and makes the surrounding trees tremble. “IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL. HAVEN’T RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES.” Every word is punctuated with an aggravated stomp.

Your shoulders shake with barely held in laughter.

“YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!”

Sans shrugs. “like ya said, just checking out this really cool new thing i put in my station. wanna check it out?”

… He wouldn’t sell you out… would he?

“NO! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!” Papyrus practically shrieks, waving his arms and stomping his feet. “WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!? I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I  _ MUST _ BE THE ONE! I  _ WILL _ CAPTURE A HUMAN!” He strikes a dramatic pose. “THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT… RECOGNITION… I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO BE, MY FRIEND?! I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING!”

“hmm… maybe checking out my station will help ya.”

“SAAAAAAANS! YOU ARE  _ NOT _ HELPING! YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS… SIT AND…  _ BOONDOGGLE! _ ”

Oh god, you can’t even hide your laughter anymore.

Papyrus turns to look at your hiding spot.

“... SANS, WHY IS YOUR STATION LAUGHING?”

You force yourself to stop giggling.

“laughing? i don’t hear any laughing.”

“SAAAAANS! UGH, YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!”

“heh, take it easy bro. i’ve been doing a ton of work… a  _ skele-ton _ .”

“SANS!”

“come on. you’re smiling.”

Papyrus’ grin looks strained, at best.

“I AM AND I HATE IT!” He heaves out a heavy sigh. “ _ WHY _ DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME… HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION…”

“wow… sounds like you’re really working yourself…  _ down to the bone _ .”

“UGH! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES. AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE…  _ BACKBONE _ INTO IT! NYEHEHEHEHEHEH!”

He turns and marches away, but comes racing back after a few seconds.

“HEH!”

With that, he’s gone. You get up and walk over to Sans. Chara follows tentatively, looking much more relaxed.

“Your brother sounds really cool!”

He chuckles.

“i know, isn’t he? he’s the best bro i could ever ask for.”

“So, do I just keep walking?”

“yeah, before he gets back. i’ll keep an eye socket out for ya.”

“Okay! Thanks! See you soon!”

You turn and start down the path that Papyrus ran down, but Sans’ voice stops you.

“hey, wait, could you do me a favor?”

“Sure!”

“my bro’s been kinda… down… lately. he’s never seen a real human before, and seeing you might just make his day. don’t worry, he’s not dangerous… even if he tries to be.”

You look over at Chara for their opinion, but their expression is blank, and their eyes are distant.

“Uh, sure, sounds good to me!”

“thanks a million. i’ll be up ahead. see ya.”

You blink, and he’s vanished. Chara sighs and finally looks at you.

“... Let’s keep going.”

The next clearing just has a box with two paths branching out.

“So, Steven, if you put stuff in the box,” Chara strides over to it and gestures nonchalantly. “It’ll stay safe in there and you can get it back if you find another box later on.”

“Whoa! How does it work?”

“Dunno,” they reply with a noncommittal shrug. They clear their throat. “So, Steven, I’ve been thinking about trying to become, like, tangible? So I can touch things and pick them up. And, uh, maybe, eventually, we can, like, y'know... Properly shake hands and stuff? So?”

“Really?! That sounds really cool!”

They grin, crimson eyes sparkling.

“I know, right? Right now I can kinda touch things if I focus, but only for a little bit. Liiiiike… this!” they reach out and tap your shoulder. For a brief second, their fingers brush gently against your sleeve. You can feel cold radiate from their hand, and you suppress a shudder. It only lasts for a moment before their hand passes through your shoulder.

“Whoa… Hey! Hey! Try holding this!” You dig in your backpack and pull out the energy bar. They reach for it hesitantly.

“Are you su-”

“Yeah! Go for it!”

Their face scrunches up in concentration, and they grasp at the bar.

…

Nothing.

They sigh.

“Later, Steven. It’s not gonna work. Let’s keep moving.”

You pout and put the bar back.

“Which way should we go?”

“Let’s just keep moving forwards. The only thing up that way is the river.”

You follow their lead as they confidently march onwards.

“So when do you think we’ll mee-”

You both stop abruptly as you spot the skeleton brothers up ahead.

“Shhh!”

Papyrus and Sans whirl around to face you, then start rapidly turning to face each other, then you, then back again, and so on. You stifle a giggle with both hands.

“SANS!” Papyrus’ whisper is more of a normal speaking volume. “OH MY GOD! IS THAT… A HUMAN?!”

You follow his gaze, it sweeps right by you and lands… on a rock.

“uhhh…” Sans looks genuinely confused. “actually, i think that’s a rock.”

“OH.”

“hey, what’s that in  _ front _ of the rock?”

Papyrus looks at you with stars in his eye sockets.

“OH MY GOD!” he exclaims. He leans down to stage-whisper to Sans, “IS… IS THAT A HUMAN?”

“yes.”

“OH MY GOD!!! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL-I’M GONNA-I’LL BE SO-” he’s so excited that he can’t even finish his sentence properly. “POPULAR! POPULAR! POPULAR! Ahem. HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN… THEN!” He falters, bringing a gloved hand to his chin. “I’M NOT SURE WHAT’S NEXT. IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!”

With that, he giddily races off.

“well, that went well. don’t sweat it, kid. i’ll keep an  _ eyesocket _ out for ya.”

“Thanks!”

“no prob.”

Sans walks away, leaving you and Chara alone.


	5. A Slightly Shocking Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You really should have told them from the get-go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven Quartz Universe is 14 years old as of The Answer and I don't know how to react to that.  
> Ahem.  
> I don't really like how this chapter turned out but maybe that's just me lol.  
> I'll probably do some edits to it later.

“I like Papyrus,” you say offhandedly to your companion as you sit on a rock and experimentally strum your ukulele. You’ve both decided that taking some time to just relax and chat is a good idea. It feels like something big is going to happen soon.

They smile fondly.

“Yeah, he’s a great person. A total sweetheart. You two’ll get along pretty well, I bet.”

“Uh, hey, last night you said you had something to tell me?”

They shift awkwardly in their spot on the path.

“Yeah, but can we, um, save it for later? I’m not feeling up to it?” Their statement is more of a question than anything, and you can tell that they’d rather be talking about anything but this. You play a short tune on the ukulele, humming a melody as they watch.

“Wow,” they mumble once it’s over, “you’re pretty talented.”

The compliment fills you with pride.

“Thanks! Do you play anything?”

They shake their head.

“Never had the time.”

This raises a whole slew of questions, but you manage to keep them to yourself.

“You wanna start moving again?” you ask after a long moment of comfortable silence.

“Sounds like a plan.”

You get up and put away your ukulele before setting off again. The air is crisp and cold and your breath comes out in small, visible puffs. It’s peaceful out. Chara stuffs their hands in their pockets and gives the area a once-over.

“Hey, check it out,” they point to a sagging, cardboard looking sentry station.

You walk over and inspect it.

“I think Papyrus made it!” you conclude.

“What makes you say that?”

“He left a note!”

They giggle and jerk their head towards the path.

“C’mon, there’s more up ahead!”

There’s another sentry station. Chara brings a finger to their lips and points to a sign.

_ Absolutely NO MOVING. _

You both tiptoe towards the station. Chara abruptly stops just as you step directly in front of it. Something rustles inside. A pointy-eared dog peeks out, looking around apprehensively.

“Did something just… move? I can only see moving things… If something were moving… like a human…” They leap out of the station, looming over you. “I’ll make sure it never moves again!”

The familiar feeling of being pulled into a battle washes over you once again.

\-->ACT.

\--> CHECK.

“That’s Doggo,” Chara says. “Whatever you do, don’t move when it’s his turn.”

“Got it! Thanks!”

Doggo swipes at you with his dagger, which glows a brilliant cyan. You stay shock still, holding your breath as the blade passes right through you. It’s your turn again. You think for a moment before grinning.

“I have an idea!”

You reach up and pet Doggo.

He freaks out.

“PET?! PAT?! POT!? PET?!” He swipes at you again, but you don’t move.

“Nice!”

His name shimmers golden yellow. You SPARE him.

The battle fades, and Doggo shudders, glancing around apprehensively.

“S-something pet me… Something that isn’t moving…” He grimaces and jumps back into his station. “I’m gonna need a dog treat for this…” His head sinks down below the counter.

“So,” Chara begins as you resume your trek, “do you have anything other than your arms to protect you? You gotta have  _ something _ .”

“Well, I have a shield! Check it out!” You take a deep breath and focus on bringing out the shimmering, rosy shield. Chara gasps as your gem’s sudden light leaks out through your sweater, and the shield materializes on your arm. You pose dramatically. “Tada!”

They applaud.

“Cool! Why didn’t you use that earlier? When Toriel challenged you, I mean.”

You shrug. “Dunno. I guess I was caught up in the  _ heat _ of the moment!”

Chara lets out an undignified snort. “God, that was awful.”

“You hafta admit, my jokes have a kind of…  _ flare _ to them!”

“Oh man, you’re terrible! Let’s go before this  _ pun _ ishment gets out of hand.”

Your shield vanishes, and you jog down the path, stopping when you see Sans leaning lazily against a tree. He seems to be staring at you, or rather, right next to you.

“heya, kid. was wondering when you’d get here,” he greets you, standing up straight and meandering over. “you got a minute?”

“I’ve got a  _ skele-ton _ of time!”

He chuckles.

“that’s great. listen, if you’re gonna fight my bro, you’re gonna have to understand blue attacks. if ya see a blue attack, don’t move and it won’t hurt you.”

Doggo’s cyan dagger flashes in your mind and you nod.

“Oh, yeah! I know about that!”

“that’s great. here’s an easy way to remember: imagine a stop sign. when you see a stop sign, you stop, right? stop signs are red, so imagine a blue stop sign instead. get it? just think about blue stop signs.”

“Uhhhh… that’s really confusing… but thanks, anyways!”

“no prob kiddo.  _ snow _ , i’ll see ya around, kid,” he plods down the path you just walked down, and when you turn around, he’s disappeared.

“Is he always like this?” you ask Chara as you test the ice.

“Only when he wants to be. That stop sign talk, it always got me.”

Alway got them? It suddenly hits you that Chara is talking about the world outside of the Ruins as if they’ve done this before.

“How do you know so much about what’s going on?”

You step on the ice and glide across to the sign in the center. Chara floats over and sits nervously on the sign, refusing to make eye contact.

“Let’s… let’s drop this… please.” Their expression is unfamiliar, but certainly not comfortable. “Later… I don’t…” Their eyes are glassy and they grimace painfully.

You reach up to try to comfort them, but, as always, your hand glides right through their arm.

“Okay, if you don’t want to, we won’t.”

They rub weakly at the beginnings of tears in their eyes and nod.

“Yeah… sorry.” They jump down from their perch. You read the sign aloud.

“West: Ice. South: Ice. North: Ice. East: Snowdin Town,” you squint at a messily scrawled addition below it, “and ice.”

“I think there might be some ice here.”

You both share a laugh, and the remnants of the previous tension dissipates.

“North of here there’s also a talking snowman, if that’s your-”

You step onto the ice facing the northern path and slide across, Chara giggling behind you.

As promised, a snowman sits on the cliff, a coal smile stretching across its face.

“Hello, I am a snowman. I wish to travel far away, but I cannot move.”

The story feels familiar, somehow.

“Will you take a piece of me and go far from here?”

“Sure!” You gently scoop a bit of snow out of the snowman’s torso.

“Thank you, friend!”

“Bye!”

You put the snowman piece in your backpack, somehow confident that it’ll be fine. Chara trots ahead of you, edging around the icy lake. You hear familiar voices up ahead.

“YOU’RE SO LAZY, SANS! YOU WERE  _ NAPPING _ ALL NIGHT!”

“i think that’s called sleeping.”

“EXCUSES, EXCUSES!”

“Hi!” you wave to the pair. Papyrus whirls around to face you.

“AH, HUMAN! YOU HAVE ARRIVED FOR YOUR FIRST PUZZLE! I THINK YOU WILL FIND IT QUITE… SHOCKING! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHE!” He makes a wide gesture with his hands at the cleared square before you. “THIS... IS THE… INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE PUZZLE! IF YOU TOUCH THE WALLS, THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ‘ZAP’!” He holds up the orb in question.

“Wow! Sounds really tough!”

“GOOD, BECAUSE IT IS! AND THE AMOUNT OF FUN! YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE! IS… VERY SMALL! NOW GO AHEAD, HUMAN!”

A knot of fear grows in your stomach, and you realize a few seconds too late that your gem is glowing through your sweater. A magenta bubble blooms around you just as you step forwards. Sans and Papyrus both stare at you. Sans’ smile is gone, replaced by a frown. Papyrus’ jaw drops.

“... ARE ALL HUMANS SUPPOSED TO GLOW?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you listen closely you can hear me screaming.


	6. Gutless, Not Brainless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A genuine threat?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF MY LOVELY READERS!  
> Here's a new chapter!

    The bubble dissipates and you laugh nervously. Chara nudges you gently.

    “Hey, they’ve never seen a real human. I bet you can tell them a… half-truth. They’ll never know.”

    You shoot them a grateful glance and clear your throat.

    “Nope! I’m just a… special kind of human!”

    The sparkles have returned in Papyrus’ eyes, and he clasps both hands together.

    “A… SPECIAL HUMAN?! WOWIE! UNDYNE WILL BE DOUBLY PROUD WHEN I CAPTURE YOU!”

    Relief washes over you. You can always tell them later.

    They’ll understand, right?

    Sans’ expression is pure disbelief… well, disbelief and distrust.

    The white pinpricks in his eyesockets bore into you, and you have to look away.

    Maybe they won’t all understand.

    “WELL THEN! HUMAN! YOU MAY PROCEED!”

    You smile bravely at Papyrus and stride forwards. You feel your foot hit something solid, and you brace yourself for the pain. You feel nothing, but one look at Papyrus gives you an idea of what happened.

He looks singed. Smoke curls off of his clothing, and he seems disgruntled, to say the least.

    “Uh, Papyrus? Are you oka-”

    “SAAAAANS!” Papyrus’ high-pitched wail cuts you off. “WHAT WAS THAT?!”

    “i think the human needs to hold the orb…”

    “AH, YES, OF COURSE! STAY THERE, HUMAN!” Papyrus trudges through the snow towards you, maneuvering through the maze and leaving a painfully obvious trail of bootprints behind him. He presents the orb to you with a flourish, grinning broadly. You take the orb with a smile just as wide.

    “Thanks, Pap!”

    Papyrus’ cheekbones flush a vibrant orange at the nickname.

    “OH MY! A… NICKNAME?! THAT IS STEP ONE TO… FRIENDSHIP?!” He shakes his head. “NO, NO, WE CAN BE FRIENDS AFTER I CAPTURE YOU!” With that, he scampers back through the maze. You make a show of navigating the maze, dramatically pausing every so often to proclaim your ‘confusion’. Papyrus seems relieved as you step out of the maze.

    “WELL DONE, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM QUITE PROUD! BUT!!! THERE ARE STILL MORE PUZZLES FOR YOU TO COMPLETE! I WILL SEE YOU AHEAD! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!” he says as he smoothly swipes the orb from you and practically skips away.

    You’re left with Sans, who is still glaring not-even-subtly at you.

    “so, steven,” he says curtly. You wince. If looks could kill… “you gonna tell us the truth?”

    “Wh-what are you talking about?”

    You can’t even hide the uncertainty in your voice.

    You miss the old Sans.

    The one that didn’t seem to hate you.

    “you lied. i might not have a brain, but i can tell that you weren’t tellin’ the truth.”

    The venom in his voice makes your stomach sink. You haven’t heard someone speak about you with that much hate since… since…

    “It’s the truth! Well, kinda!”

    The lights in his eye sockets vanish.

    “you’re just pretending to be human, aren’t you?”

    Chara visibly tenses up next to you.

    “No! I’m human! Really!”

    You hate lying you hate lying you hate lying you hate lying you hate

    “humans don’t glow.”

    You bite your lip and look away.

    “I… can I tell you when Pap is here? Please?” You do your best puppy dog eyes, and Sans’ expression falters. He sighs.

    “i can’t say no to a face like that…” The lights in his eyes return. “listen kid, if you’re trying something funny, you’re gonna regret it. but i like you, and paps likes you too, so you’ll get a pass. for now.”

    You relax, but Chara still looks ready to bolt.

    “Alright, so we’re _cool_ now?”

    Sans barks out a laugh, and whatever was left of the distrust in his expression fades.

    “ _icy_ what you did there, kiddo. listen, sorry for being so _cold_ ,” he shrugs, “i trust ya, really, and i’m sure that whatever you have to tell me and pap-it can’t be that bad. i’ll see ya ‘round.”

    You blink, and, like always, he’s gone.

    “He has his own secrets to keep, you know. He’s really not one to talk when it comes to stuff like this,” Chara mutters from beside you. They sound angry, and their hands are balled up so tightly that their knuckles are white. Something about their tone and the look in their eyes frightens you, to say the least.

    “... Chara?”

    Their expression shifts to an embarrassed grimace. They don’t look directly at you.

    “... You wanna move on?”

    They nod briefly and weakly grasp for your hand. Their grip is firm and almost hurts for the five seconds you can feel it.

    “I’d… I’d like that, thank you…”

    You smile reassuringly.

    “Let’s go!”

    You both trudge forwards, crossing over a creaking wooden platform and back into the snow. The snowball game is easy enough, just carefully push the ball and make sure it doesn’t melt all the way. Every time the snowball touches a wall, you wince and quickly push it away. Finally, it lands in the hole with a satisfying ‘plop’, and a kelly green flag rises.

    “Just like your soul, Steven!”

    You laugh and agree.

    Sans isn’t nearby.

    Part of you is grateful for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angst is coming kids prepare urselves


	7. Snowed Inn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time that you learned the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANGST: START.  
> It is Pain Time.

    The next few puzzles are a blur of awkward glances at the short skeleton and a budding friendship with his brother. In fact, at the last puzzle, Papyrus even lent you his cape to wear, so that, “THE SPECIAL HUMAN WILL NOT FREEZE TO DEATH BEFORE CAPTURE!” Chara was practicing their tangibility trick more and more, slowly adding seconds and then managing to hold an energy bar for a full minute without dropping it. The dog guards were an added bon(e)us, especially when they stopped attacking.

    You approach an unstable-looking bridge, Chara hesitantly gripping your hand and glancing around. Pap’s cape billows behind you as you step onto the bridge, wincing at the loud creak that fills the air. As you slowly cross the bridge, the skeleton brothers come into view. Papyrus looks excited as ever. His enthusiasm is infectious, filling you with energy. Sans’ eye dots stare right at you, almost expectantly.

    “AH, THE HUMAN ARRIVES AT LAST! I HOPE YOU ARE READY, FOR THIS LAST PUZZLE IS TRULY CHALLENGING!”

    “I bet it is, Pap!”

    He snaps his fingers, and weapons (and a dog?) suddenly lower from above and rise from below. You’re taken aback, stumbling a bit before regaining your composure.

    “BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!” Papyrus spreads his arms and you applaud. “WHEN I SAY THE WORD, EVERY SINGLE OBJECT WILL ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE! BLADES WILL SLICE! THE PROBABILITY OF YOU MAKING IT PAST IS NEXT TO NONE!”

    You gulp, and try not to focus on the weapons.

    “ARE YOU READY? BECAUSE I! AM ABOUT! TO DO IT!”

    You brace yourself.

…

…

    Papyrus looks conflicted.

    “hey, bro, that… uh… doesn’t look very activated.”

    “I KNOW! I AM ABOUT TO-ABOUT TO-” Papyrus sighs and waves his hand. The weapons retreat to wherever they were before. “THIS CHALLENGE IS TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH! AWAY IT GOES!”

    You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. You take a few more steps across the bridge and beam up at Papyrus.

    “HUMAN! THIS WAS YET ANOTHER VICTORY FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

    He laughs and zooms away.

    You finally make it to the other side. Sans ambles up to you.

    “so buddy, you’re gonna be fighting pap soon,” he begins, “you should probably make sure that you understand blue attacks.”

    No mention of your secret. You turn away and leave silently, deciding not to address the elephant in the room.

    A banner greets you as you walk into town (Chara and the sign both inform you that it’s named Snowdin). The first place you go to is the shop. The overwhelming scent of cinnamon fills the air. A violet bunny sits behind the cash register, arms crossed and a pleasant smile on her face.

    “Greetins traveller!” she says. “You new around here? I haven’t seen your face b’fore!”

    “Yeah! I’m from… out of town!”

    “Ya sure look it. What can I do for you?”

    Chara leans over and whispers, “Ask about the cinnamon bunnies!”

    You look at the glass display case in the counter, where several trays of pastries sit. Little cinnamon buns shaped like rabbits line one of the trays.

    “Cinnamon bunnies? How much are those?”

    “Twenty-five gold, kid,” she says as she picks up a pair of tongs, “How many do you want?”

    “Four, please!”

    “Comin’ right up!” she plucks out four of the pastries and places them in a bag. “That’ll be one hundred gold!”

    You fish around in your backpack for the money you need. Luckily, you have more than enough to pay.

    “Enjoy!”

    “Thanks, ma’am!”

    “Y’know, if you’re lookin’ for a place to stay, my sister runs the inn next door, but,” the shopkeep glances at Papyrus’ cape and chuckles, “if you’re already staying with those skeletons, though, you probably don’t need it.”

    “Oh, Papyrus just let me wear his cape for a bit so I didn’t freeze! Wait, he lives here?”

    “Ha, those silly skeletons have been living here for a long time. Just showed up one day and settled in. Hard to remember a Snowdin without ‘em!”

    “How long have you lived here?”

    She puts a paw to her chin and looks off to the side.

    “Ever since I was a little bunny. I know all the people here by name. Most of em are furred folk, like me. Snowdin’s a great place for us. Hotland’s too hot. Waterfall and the Capital are fine, but Snowdin’s the best.”

    You chat with the shopkeeper for a while longer before saying goodbye and heading out. The sky has darkened, and Chara suggests that you go to the inn for the night. You agree.

    The room at the inn is cozy and warm, and you can’t help but flop into the bed. Chara sits on the edge of the bed and sighs.

    “Man, Steven, I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you…”

    You look up from the soft blankets.

    “What’re you talking about?”

    “Steven, I…” they sigh, and look away. Tears well up in the corners of their eyes. “I’m a really bad person, Steven…”

    “No! You’re a great person!” You reach out to them, but they push your hand away.

    “Steven, you don’t understand. I’m a… I’m a _murderer_ , Steven. I killed so many people… I… I…”

    “Chara, what are you talking about?”

    “I _killed them_ , Steven. Even when they spared me… I remember every second of it. Toriel, Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, EVERYONE.”

    “How? They’re still here, Chara!”

    They take in a shuddering breath and wrap their arms around themselves.

    “I reset the world so many times… Frisk never deserved that… _they_ never deserved that. They were so close to freedom the first few times… I got bored. Frisk… oh, god, Frisk…”

    You scoot closer to them and stare directly into their eyes.

    “Chara, you’re okay. You’re okay.” They hiccup in response. “... Can you start from the beginning?”

    “Y-Yeah…”

    “When did you fall down here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning: next chapter will contain mentions of suicidal thoughts.  
> As always, love you guys!


	8. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's supposed to be painful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING FOR MENTIONS OF SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.  
> this isn't the only angst chapter there's more shitstorm to come eventually my poor, unfortunate kiddos

They sigh and lean heavily on you, their now-familiar cold fading in and out..

“I was twelve. It was a really long time ago, a few centuries at the most. You lose track after a few resets... Before Toriel shut herself in the Ruins. Before Sans or Papyrus or anyone. I was… I wanted to die. I was so tired of life that I thought…” They don’t finish their sentence, and just squeeze your hand.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re okay.”

“I was hurt and afraid when I finally hit the ground. I was crying and screaming and a mess… and then… Asriel found me.”

“Who’s Asriel?”

Their eyes are filled with regret.

“He was the prince… The son of the king and queen of monsters.”

“... Who were the king and queen?”

You know where this is going.   
“Asgore and Toriel. Asriel took me to them, and they adopted me…” their voice catches and they let out another shuddering sob, “I really felt like a part of their family. But I ruined it. I ruined it!”

They rock back and forth on the bed and sob as you try to comfort them.

“I-I hated humans so much… They had taken everything from the monsters… the stars… the oceans… all of the monsters were hoping that I would be their bridge… but I was so bitter…” their expression hardens. “I made a plan with Asriel. I poisoned myself and let him take my soul so he could go to the surface and lay my body to rest…” They laugh halfheartedly. “Dying feels so weird, Steven. I just closed my eyes and let my soul leave my body forever…  _ I helped my brother carry my body away _ .

“The villagers didn’t understand. They attacked. I wanted to kill them all. Asriel didn’t let me. He walked back underground and died there. Dad declared that every human that fell from then on would be killed and their soul collected. Mom left him forever. I ruined our family. I destroyed everyone’s hope.”

They grip the sheets underneath them and rub their eyes with a fist.

“Six humans died since then because of my stupid idea. I watched them die. Until, finally… A seventh fell.

“They had the same color soul as me, red. Determination. Their name is Frisk. I hitched a ride in their mind, and watched them go through the motions. The first time, they freed everyone. It was so great, seeing everyone so happy for the first time in years…”

They grimace.

“Steven, do you believe in time travel?”

You remember the Hourglass incident. You nod.

“Yeah.”

They take a deep breath and continue.

“Well.. I had to see it again. I took control of them… and I reset the timeline to when they fell. I did it all over again. And then I reached the end… I couldn’t bear to leave again. So I reset. And I wondered what would happen if I changed something. What if I killed a Froggit, or didn’t befriend Papyrus? I saw every possible ending… and then I finally got bored.

“I wondered what would happen if I never showed mercy to anyone.”

Your eyes widen. They look up at you with a strange look on their face.

“It was awful at first. The whole time Frisk was screaming and fighting back. They  _ begged _ me to stop, but I never listened. Eventually, they gave up. They just watched.

“After that… killing was a lot easier. It was so  _ satisfying _ , watching them all turn to dust. When I got to the end, only one person stood in my way. I’m… I’m sure you know who he is.”

_ Sans _ .

Chara smiles bitterly.

“When I finally sliced open that comedian... n̕o̢̨t̶h̨҉ing҉ s̨t͞o̧̧o͜d̀ ͢in̵ m̶ý w̢̢͡a̷͟҉y͏͟͝.”

You shudder at their tone.

“And you know what? I did it again. I thought it was  _ fun _ . I  _ enjoyed _ killing them all. I wasn’t even human anymore…”

Their expression softens and they look at you.

“And then you came along.”

“... Me?”

“Yeah… You’re such a good person, Steven. And you were never in the other resets. I knew that this was finally going to be over. And I thought that, somehow, if I never told you about my past and just acted like I was okay, I could somehow make up for the stuff I pulled… Man, I’m an idiot. You must hate me now, right?”

You launch forwards on the bed and hug Chara. They freeze up, but hug back eventually.

“I could never hate you…”

They clutch your sweater and sob into your shoulder.

“I’m so stupid, Steven… I hurt everyone… I should just disappear…”

“No no no no! You’re not a bad person, Chara! You just messed up! You feel sorry for what you did, right?”

They nod timidly.

“Then you’re already one step there! You’ve just gotta stay determined!”

You pat them solidly on the back.

“I believe in you!”

They sniffle and loosen their grip on your shirt.

“Th-thanks… You’re really one of the best friends I could ever ask for…”

With one final squeeze they release you, wiping their eyes on their sleeves.

“Did talking about it help?”

“Yeah, I feel a lot better… Thank you for listening…”

“No problem! That’s what friends are for!”

They giggle and slide off of the bed.

“Need some space so you can change?”

“Oh yeah! Gimme a minute!”

You change into your pajamas and crawl into the bed. Chara plops down on the floor and sits up against the dresser.

“G’night, Steven.”

“Night, Chara.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, yes, the plot is going to follow most of the story of the video game, which is why the cast's speech is mostly from the game ahaha.  
> Hope you enjoyed the tears babs


	9. Friends?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Come on, you just want to be friends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait!  
> [Go check out this wonderful fanart of the dress-up scene from Chapter 2!](http://shiegoya.tumblr.com/post/136621999453/steven-and-some-change-of-clothes-as-chara)  
> As always, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter of Stone Cold!

    _“Steven?”_

_The voice is all too familiar, and you race over to its source, tackling her in a bone-crushing hug._

_“Connie! I missed you! Wait’ll I tell you what happened!”_

  _Connie’s dreamscape is weirdly beautiful, black and white melding with bright technicolor, merging into a galaxy of images spiralling infinitely above you. It’s a mishmash of style that somehow blends into a strange harmony._

_“You fell, I know! Pearl told me! Where_ are _you?!”_

_“I’m under a mountain!”_

_“Whoa, what?! That’s insane… tell me more!”_

_“Okay, so I was with the Gems, right?”_

_“Yeah?”_ _  
_ _“And we were on this mountain, and Pearl told me,” you do your best imitation of her, “‘Don’t wander off, Steven, you could get hurt!’ and I kinda got separated from the Gems? And I fell down this hole and here I am!”_

_“Did you find anything down there?!”_

_“Yeah! There are these monsters that are really nice and they kinda don’t know that I’m part Gem? But I’m gonna tell them! I just… haven’t gotten to that yet…”_

_“Tell me about the monsters!”_

_You tell Connie all about Toriel, and how she cared so much about you. She seems mostly interested in Sans and Papyrus._

_“Are they really just skeletons? No muscles or fat? Just bones?”_

_“Haha, yup! No_ bones _about it!”_

_“Wo-ow, that’s incredible! When you get home, can you introduce me to them? I’d love to meet them in person._

_“Will do! Bye!”_

_“Bye!”_

_You hug one more time and let the image fade away._

_The rest of your night is filled with dreams you can’t decipher nor remember, but they fill you with a strange sense of nostalgia._

_What you do remember is the patient smile on a strange, closed-eyed child’s round face._

-

    Maybe it’s just your internal clock that wakes you up. Or maybe it’s the freezing finger pressing into your cheek.

    “Wake up, sleepyhead!”

    “One more minute…”

    “C’mon, Steven, get uuuup!”

    You shift and hug the pillow.

    “Steven, we don’t have time for this. You gotta get outta bed!”

    You roll maybe a bit too much and topple off of the mattress, fully awake and staring up at a snickering Chara.

    “Fiiiiiinally! I was ready to die _again_ waiting for you to wake up!”

    You release the pillow from your near-death grip and sit up. You rub the sleep out of your eyes and yawn.

    “What time is it?”

    They shrug.

    “Dunno, but it’s _late_ and I was so _bored_ ,” they huff.

    “Didn’t you sleep?”

    “I’m a _ghost_. Ghosts don’t sleep.”

    “Fair enough.”

    You finally stand up and stretch with a yawn loud enough to probably wake up the people in the room next door. To be quite honest, you don’t really care. With that, you set about your routine as best you can, finding the bathroom and finally taking a well-deserved shower, taming your hair, and so on. You leave the bathroom in a new sweater and pair of jeans, feeling much happier and more refreshed.

    “Ready?”

    You nod, “Let’s go!”  
    You grab your backpack and leave the room, waving good-bye to the innkeeper as you go. Chara drifts behind you as you plod through the snow. You stop by a decorated pine tree just as a little yellow monster races past you. Before you can say anything, they trip over their own feet and fall face-first into the snow. You jog up to them and offer to help them up, but they spring to their feet just fine and beam at you.

    “Yo!” they shake snow off of themselves. “What’s up? You’re a kid, right?”

    “Yeah! How’d you know?”

    “‘Cause you’re wearing a striped shirt! Just like me!”

    “Striped shirts are still in fashion for kids down here, I guess,” Chara comments.

    “Oh, yeah!” You smile back at the kid. “My name’s Steven!”

    “I’m Kid! Yo, are you new around here?”

    “Yeah! I’m from out of town!” The lie comes a lot easier the second time.

    “Cool! Dude, are you from Waterfall?” They don’t even let you respond as they start shaking with excitement. “Yo, have you ever seen Undyne?! She is _so_ cool!”

    “No, but I’ve heard a lot about her! What’s she like?”

    Kid starts telling you all about Undyne. From what they tell you, Undyne _does_ sound pretty awesome.

    “... if I was a human, I’d wet the bed thinking about how Undyne is gonna beat me up!”

    “Yeah, so would I!” You look over at Chara, and they motion towards the other end of town. “Hey, Kid, I gotta go! See you later?”  
    “Yo, you bet! See ya!”

    They wave vigorously with their tail as you walk away. You pass by the Libraby (pausing to wonder why it’s misspelled) and a cozy-looking house near the edge of town. Chara nods up at it, murmuring something about Sans and Papyrus. You can’t hear over the sudden roar of the wind in your ears as you press on. The air fills with fog as you leave Snowdin Town. A familiar figure stands before you, becoming clearer as you approach.

    “GREETINGS, HUMAN!”

    “Hi, Pap! Hey, do you want your cape back?”

    Papyrus grimaces (No, you don’t know how) and shakes his head.

    “NO, NO, HUMAN, NOT NOW. LISTEN, I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT MANY THINGS IN THE PAST DAY. THINGS LIKE… JOY IN FINDING A FELLOW PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER’S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART, AND SPECIAL PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL.THESE FEELINGS…” He closes his eye sockets and shakes his head. “THESE FEELINGS MUST BE EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW!”

    You smile and nod.

    “Yeah! You’re so cool! Wanna be friends?”

    He freezes, eye sockets widening. He curls his fingers into fists.

    “NO, NO! I CANNOT BE YOUR FRIEND! I MUST CAPTURE YOU AND BRING YOU TO UNDYNE! THEN… THEN I WILL FINALLY FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POPULAR! POWERFUL! PRESTIGIOUS! THAAAAAT’S PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER…” He pauses to strike a pose. You can feel your soul begin to emerge from your chest, and the world around you darkens once again. “OF THE ROYAL GUARD!”

    “Papyrus blocks the way!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the abrupt end, I didn't want to leave you guys waiting for too long for another chapter, so the Pap fight and more will be coming up next!


	10. Bone Tussle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are many things that you expected.  
> The FLIRT option wasn't one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just remember that in the end I have literally no planning for this story except for some points.  
> ... although i always appreciate people tellin me what they think should happen.
> 
> (Please don't take this story too seriously, pff)

Chara seems like they’re bouncing to an imaginary beat as you face Papyrus, still wearing his cape.

\--> ACT.

You pause and stare at the options.

“... Flirt?”

Chara stops bouncing and looks at the choice in question before snorting and shaking their head.

“Just roll with it.”

You gingerly tap the option.

“Hey, Pap! You’re the coolest skeleton I’ve ever known!”

Chara looks at you.

“Really?”

You shrug lamely at them. Papyrus, however, seems flattered.

“A… GENUINE COMPLIMENT?” The orange blush is back with a vengeance. “WOWIE…”

Chara lets out an undignified snort. You have no time to say anything to Pap before he’s shaking his head.

“NO, NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I HAVE TO CAPTURE YOU!”

He lifts up his hand and bones rise up from the ground in neat rows. They zoom towards your soul and-

And-

Well.

Okay.

They pass harmlessly below the trembling heart. You give Chara a confused glance. They don’t give you any explanation, just another bout of laughter.

It’s your turn again.

\--> ACT.

\--> FLIRT.

You do finger guns and wink at Papyrus.

“F-FLIRTING? SO FINALLY… YOU REVEAL YOUR ULTIMATE FEELINGS!”

What.

“W-WELL! I AM A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS!”

Chara leans over.

“Tell him you can make spaghetti,” they whisper.

“Uh, I can make spaghetti!”

Papyrus gasps and places a hand on his chest in shock.

“OH NO! YOU’RE MEETING ALL MY STANDARDS! I GUESS… I NEED TO TAKE YOU OUT ON A DATE NOW?” His expression is momentarily clouded with distress, and he finally heaves out a sigh. “NO! WE CAN DATE LATER! AFTER I CAPTURE YOU!”

More bones.

Chara nudges you.

“Papyrus is thinking about what to wear on his  _ daaaate _ .”

They give you the biggest, most sugary grin they can muster, mischief gleaming in their eyes. You nudge them back, your elbow barely passing through them.

\--> MERCY.

His name isn’t yellow. You bite your lip and hover your hand over the SPARE option.

“Papyrus, I’m not gonna fight you! We still have to go on our…” it feels so weird saying it that you have to take a second, “our date!”

“SO…” He drums his gloved fingers on his cloth-covered femur. “YOU WON’T FIGHT?”

You shake your head. “I don’t want to fight,” you repeat.

“WELL… THEN LET’S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED… BLUE ATTACK!”

You see cyan bones racing towards you, and you freeze where you stand, letting them pass through you.

And then Papyrus waves his hand.

You immediately feel the effects of his magic as an enormous weight settles on your shoulders. Your soul shifts to a bright, cool, lapis blue and it falls with you as you topple over. You huff out a heavy breath and stagger to the side, trying to regain your footing. Just as you stand up, swaying and letting out shuddering gasps, a bone whooshes towards you. You notice it just in time and jump. You’re just barely able to clear it and land solidly on your feet.

“YOU’RE BLUE NOW! THAT’S MY ATTACK!”

You can hear Chara cackling behind you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are some things I know for almost sure:  
> The Gems knew about the monsters getting trapped under Mt. Ebott, but didn't realize that they were still, y'know, alive under there. (I mean, honestly, who would've known that they actually managed to survive under there for so long?)  
> Steven's SOUL is green because the green soul in-game represents kindness!  
> Steven will die at least once in the story.  
> Frisk is not dead.


	11. Anomaly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie! Sorry for the wait guys! I was organizing my ideas and such for the story and also may have  
> lost muse  
> heh  
> Ahem! Well, thanks for sticking with me, you're real sports pff

    The battle is tough-tougher than you thought it would be. You leap over another row of bones, sweat beading on your brow. Papyrus is focused intently on keeping both your soul blue and the bones rushing forwards. However, it’s obvious that the lengthy battle is starting to take its toll. He’s exhausted, and seems to be stressed out even more by your dropping HP.

    --> MERCY.

    --> SPARE.

    It’s almost muscle memory at this point, you notice as you slam your open palm against the options. Chara stopped bouncing a while ago, and is shouting encouragement (And jokes about your flirting abilities) at you.

    You take a moment to glance at your HP. It’s lower than you thought it was, 5 points left. The realization hits you hard enough for you to lose your balance for a split second, and you can’t quite manage to clear one of the jumps.

    4 HP.

    You can’t stand up. Chara shouts your name.

    “Steven?! _Steven!_ Look out!”

    You look up from the ground just in time to see the bone that hits you.

    2 HP.

    The battle stops abruptly as you sway to the side.

    “HUMAN!”

    Papyrus rushes to your side and catches you just as you pass out.

-

    You bound over a tree root, catching yourself just before you trip into the hole in the ground before you. You peer over the edge, taking one deep, steadying breath before you jump in, and

_then_

_you’re_

_f_

_a_

_l_

_l_

_i_

_n_

_g_

_And that’s when you realize that this isn’t you. This isn’t how you fell. You’re suddenly looking at the stranger from an outsider’s perspective and you recognize them somehow. Their face, the peacefully closed eyes and slight smile and the round beige cheeks and deep brown hair you_ saw _this person. And they land on the same golden flowers with a gentle ‘poof’ and pollen rises around their body. You can feel their thoughts as they stand up and look around._

_Something isn’t right, they realize as they stride into the next room. Their eyes snap open and seem to look directly at you be_ cause _you’re_ the anomaly and you shouldn’t be here the happy ending might never happen because of _you_ and again you’re falling down down down down down

…

You wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	12. Author's Note (Alt Title: What I Never Wanted to Add)

_Bonjour mes amis!_

It's me, Seraph! Well, I mean, obviously.

Look, I haven't updated in a while, oui?

But don't you worry!

I'm not going to be abandoning this... absolute mess... any time soon!

This is my actual child and damn it all I am sticking with this monster until the end

I've been hit by the dreaded no inspiration virus lately. At least for Undertale.

I'm taking a brief break (YES A HIATUS HOW SHOCKING CONSIDERING THE PAST... eurgh... MONTH(S))

But I will eventually be back!

Eventually!

You can hmu on my tumbles, seraphsword-seraphs, if you wanna chat and stuff.

* * *

 

I'll be honest here, I hate having to post an Author's Note, but frankly, you guys deserve to know why I haven't been updating as of late.

Welp, I'll see you around.

Au revoir! <3


	13. Old Haunts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stranger appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's!!! A chapter!!! Wowie!!! Wow!  
> So, the hiatus is?? Sorta over?? I'll probably delete the A/N chapter.  
> This chapter isn't my best but frankly I wanted to get it out. Ahah.  
> Anywho, enjoy, my children. Get it while it's hot!

“kid, you do know that you’re goin’ the opposite direction you wanted to go in,” Sans supplies unhelpfully as you trudge through the snow. When he saw you leaving Snowdin Town, he immediately started to follow you, obviously more than a smidge suspicious of your actions.

“I just wanted to take care of some stuff,” you reply, stepping around a snow poff.

Chara almost loses it at your lame excuse. But really, what else  _ could _ you tell the skeleton?

“like..?”

“Y’know… stuff!”

“ya know, kid, it’s  _ snow problem _ if you tell me what you’re up to.”

“I’m not up to anything, Sans. Just exploring.”

“i’ll take your word for it, but if  _ icy _ you causing any problems…”

He vanishes on that note, leaving you alone, once again, with your ghostly buddy.

-

The walk takes a while, an hour at least. Certainly not as long a time as it took to travel to Snowdin Town, but certainly no small amount of time. By the time you reach the door to the Ruins, your legs are sore and tired and you just want to fall into the very welcoming-looking snow. So you do. You collapse backwards and lie there spread-eagle and just stare up at the inky blackness of the Underground’s “sky”. The cold powder around the entrance to the Ruins hadn’t been disturbed when you arrived, so the mysterious Frisk character has yet to appear.

“You’re gonna get frostbite,” Chara remarks, hovering over you and blinking owlishly. “You’ll get sick from the cold or something.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine,” you reply before waving your arms and legs up and down.

“What are you-oh.  _ Oh. _ I gotcha.”

-

Another hour passes, and you have to clamber onto a nearby boulder and gnaw on a sandwich. Frisk still hasn’t shown up.

“You know, Steven, maybe you should just give up for the day. Make a little more progress, y’know?”

“No way, I wanna meet this Frisk person!”

Chara sighs and rolls their eyes.

“Steven, sometimes dreams are just dreams. They might not even be he-”

The doors to the Ruins swing open just before they finish their sentence.

And out walks a round little kid, only a few inches shorter than you, with a little blue backpack, a bendy twig, and a bandaid plastered on their cheek. They look around, head turning from side to side, before they hone in on your presence and approach.

Chara’s jaw drops.

“... Frisk…”

Frisk’s eyes fly open (A lovely honey brown color that seems just a bit too vibrant for an ordinary human) and they stare directly at your friend.

“Chara.”


	14. Yet Another Author's Note (An apology and an explanation)

Heyo!

I'm sure you're wondering just what is up with Stone Cold right now.

Is it dead? Is it on hiatus? What the heck is going on?!

I'm here to tell you all that Stone Cold is officially on a hiatus. I have lost a lot of muse for Undertale and Steven Universe, and need to figure out what I want to do from here. I apologize sincerely for the wait, really. Just know that this is not a fic that I plan on abandoning, I just need time away to work on other things.

Thank you for understanding, and have a lovely day!


End file.
